Abu Dhabi Stage 1: Good start into the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

The MINI ALL4 Racing pairings made a successful start into the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge by securing top positions in the prologue and stage one. 

Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU) and Timo Gottschalk (GER) hold second position in the overall standings behind Nasser Al-Attiyah in a Toyota. Poland’s Jakub Przygonski and his new Belgian co-driver Tom Colsoul also delivered in fine style: they won the prologue and finished third on Sunday, thus also making it to third position in the overall standings. The third MINI ALL4 Racing in the top five is raced by the Russian pairing Vladimir Vasilyev / Konstantin Zhiltsov.

US-American Bryce Menzies also impressed with a great start into the event. After two days, he and his German co-driver Andreas Schulz hold second position. It’s Menzies’ first appearance at the wheel of the MINI ALL4 Racing in a rally. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) and Michel Périn (FRA) follow behind them in seventh position and by finishing ninth, local hero Sheik Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE) and his co-driver Khalid Al Kendi also made it to the top 10. They slipped into a ditch on Sunday when they had to give way for a motorbike and later they lost more time by missing a checkpoint and having to turn arround. In 11th, right behind the top 10, Jutta Kleinschmidt (GER) and Tina Thörner (SWE) follow with the buggy and the two Germans Stephan Schott and Holm Schmidt hold 14th place.

Result SS1:
1st N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) – Toyota 3h 28m 07s 2nd Y. Al-Rajhi (SAU) / T. Gottschalk (GER) – MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 30m 27s
3rd J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Colsoul (BEL) – MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 32m 02s
4th V. Vasilyev (RUS) / K. Zhiltsov (RUS) – MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 33m 24s
5th M. Dabrowski (POL) / J. Czachor (POL) – Toyota 3h 34m 04s
6. B. Menzies (USA) / A. Schulz (GER) - MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 34m 18s
7th M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) - MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 38m 03s
...
9th K. SH Al-Qassimi (UAE) / K. Al Kendi (UAE) – MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 44m 05m
… 11th J. Kleinschmidt (GER) / T. Thörner (SWE) - Buggy 4h 22m 06s
… 14th S. Schott (GER) / H. Schmidt (GER) – MINI ALL4 Racing 4h 47m 54s



 
Overall standings after stage 1:
1st N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) – Toyota 3h 30m 00s 2nd Y. Al-Rajhi (SAU) / T. Gottschalk (GER) – MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 32m 18s
3rd J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Colsoul (BEL) – MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 33m 51s
4th V. Vasilyev (RUS) / K. Zhiltsov (RUS) – MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 35m 17s
5th M. Dabrowski (POL) / J. Czachor (POL) – Toyota 3h 35m 54s
6th B. Menzies (USA) / A. Schulz (GER) - MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 36m 07s
7th M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) - MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 39m 53s
...
9th K. SH Al-Qassimi (UAE) / K. Al Kendi (UAE) – MINI ALL4 Racing 3h 46m 00m
…
11th J. Kleinschmidt (GER) / T. Thörner (SWE) - Buggy 4h 24m 11s
…
14th S. Schott (GER) / H. Schmidt (GER) – MINI ALL4 Racing 4h 49m 50s

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